Welcome to the Pretty Much Weekly, a weekly series where we give you the latest(-ish) news in film, games, tech and extra tidbits I think are super cute and want to share but don’t know where else to put it. This week the US may ban loot boxes in games, PlayStation is airing their second State of Play episode in an hour, and Disney have released a list of the movies they have currently planned to release in the next eight years.
The Next State of Play
PlayStation will be airing their second episode of State of Play today at 10am (New Zealand time). If the player below doesn’t work, you can catch it here!
At half the time of the first episode, today’s State of Play is going to be only ten minutes long. They’ve already said they’re not going to say anything about their next console, but expect new stuff from MediEvil and a new title!
POST-SHOW OVERVIEW:
- Monster Hunter World expansion: Iceborne trailer
- Looks super cool (hah, pun). Reminds me of the Horizon Zero Dawn: Frozen Wilds DLC
- Riverbond announcement
- a cute voxel art shoot-and-slash dungeon crawler with up to 4-player couch co-op
- Predator: Hunting Grounds trailer
- The second-most exciting thing to come out: it’s a 1v4 asymmetrical multiplayer online game where 4 players try to take down the Predator
- New MediEval story trailer!
- Set to be released on October 25th!
- AWAY: Survival Series announcement
- Survive a dangerous tropical island that will do its best to kill you … as a cute sugar glider!!
- This is the game I’m most excited about, with more games to come in the future featuring different animal protagonists
- New Final Fantasy VII trailer!
- The only really new thing we got to see, is that we can expect more to come in June
Sonic is getting a make-over
Last week I mentioned the new trailer for Sonic. I mentioned that fans were disappointed, horrified, even offended, at the hedgehog’s reincarnation. Well, shortly after the trailer was released, the director himself announced that Sonic is going to be redesigned in time for the movie’s release!
Thank you for the support. And the criticism. The message is loud and clear… you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen. Everyone at Paramount & Sega are fully committed to making this character the BEST he can be… #sonicmovie #gottafixfast ?✌️
— Jeff Fowler (@fowltown) May 2, 2019
All I can really think about is how expensive that’s going to be. And the poor animation team! #gottafixfast
But massive kudos to the studio for listening to the criticism.
American Senator wants to ban loot boxes
Senator Josh Hawley of the US’s Republican Party has announced that he will put forward a bill banning “manipulative” features in modern games. Specifically games targeted at children that let you “pay-to-win,” or buy loot boxes where items and gear aren’t guaranteed.
“There is no excuse for exploiting children through such practices,” he said.
I, for one, like the idea of minimising the impact the loot box craze has on games. The best example I can give is Star Wars Battlefront II, which was a well-polished and flippin’ great game… before it was saturated with a loot box system that meant either spending over 4,500 hours in game or simply dropping $3000 to unlock everything (including characters like Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader).
Though, people have raised the point that relying on the ESRB, a private company, to determine whether or not a law can be implemented, is potentially a bit sketchy. Can’t have loot boxes? Bribe for a higher rating on your game that would otherwise be very okay for under 13-year-olds. But whether this would actually happen, only time can tell.
New Indiana Jones Movie! (and other new Disney movies)
With the announcement of Disney+, Disney have revealed their planned upcoming movies, including an untitled Indiana Jones movie in 2021, and 8 untitled “Disney live action” movies.
Whether that means more live action remakes in the vein of The Lion King and Aladdin, I guess we’ll find out. But I do know that a live action Lady and the Tramp is planned exclusively for Disney+.
Again, I’m finding their streaming site more and more enticing.
Roald Dahl’s “The Witches” begins filming!
Just announced this week, principal photography has begun on the classic children’s tale The Witches! It’s going to be directed by Robert Zemeckis (Forrest Gump) and star Anne Hathaway (The Princess Diaries, Ocean’s 8) and Octavia Spencer (The Help, Hidden Figures). Guillermo Del Toro is also helping out with the screenplay.
It’s currently scheduled to be released in New Zealand on October 15th 2020.
A lovely photo accompanied by an important message
I understand that the poster of this photo is speculating, but I have seen this sort of message discussed in public forums and among friends. As a videographer myself, I want to pay more attention to my own biases and learn how to better respect the community my camera and I often appreciate.
This is just a really nice story that maybe possibly made me tear up just the tiniest bit.
arkhamrefugee is right. This woman has a fricken winning smile.
